The 17-stop Coaches Caravan tour through Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and New York next month is virtually sold out, and no tickets remain for the stops in York and Hershey.

But Penn State fans in the midstate still have an opportunity to see Penn State coach James Franklin at a “State of the Program” event at the Harrisburg Hilton on April 17 at 5 p.m. PSU athletic director Dr. David Joyner also will make remarks at the event.

General admission tickets cost $50 for adults and $25 for children under 18. Members of The Hill Society are free. The event will feature complimentary appetizers and a cash bar, with a portion of the proceeds donated to the Four Diamonds Fund. For more information, call 717-233-6784 or click here.

The event will come on the heels of the Blue-White game and will mark Franklin's first public appearance in Harrisburg. Organizers are calling it a high-energy tailgate environment that will turn the room into a mini Beaver Stadium.

“This is a great opportunity for people to be able to meet with coach Franklin in a fun, informal party-type setting,” said Michael Wilson, a member of The Hill Society. “This will be a very upbeat, tailgate-themed fund-raiser. So even the decorations –- it will look like a field and tailgating and all those kinds of things.” It also will include an auction.

Wilson noted that there’s an added layer to the event, with the recent diagnosis of leukemia in Megan Enders, wife of Harrisburg businessman Andy Enders. It’s a type of leukemia that’s much more likely to be seen in a child. Wilson said that Megan has been referred to Penn State Hershey and receiving treatment similar to what a Four Diamonds youngster would receive.

“We’re now dedicating this event in her honor to raise a bunch of money for Four Diamonds,” Wilson said. He learned Friday that the Enders wanted to go public about the illness. "They made a conscious decision together that they want to own this and do it to try and help as many families as possible because of what they are going through," he said.

Franklin will not appear in Harrisburg on the Coaches Caravan tour, but he will be back in the midstate with an evening reception in Hershey on May 6. The appearances will be a first an opportunity for many PSU fans to get know the Nittany Lions’ first-year leader.

After a fast start to the 2015 recruiting cycle and a spring practice period to work with his players, Franklin will set out to introduce himself to fans and alumni across the Mid-Atlantic region. He was introduced as Penn State’s 16th head coach on Jan. 11 after a three-year tenure as the head coach at Vanderbilt.